Spectrum
by Minnerain
Summary: [Oneshot] [It's taken a few years, but Konoha waited.] Naruto has returned from a long absense, and all the people he left behind can feel their lives click back into place. It's been awhile since they've all smiled together.


**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. I'm merely borrowing for entertainment purposes.  
**Warnings**: First Naruto fic, and first fic in this style. Unbeta-ed. Cheesy. Fluffy. **Also**, implications of various pairings _if you squint_. It's meant to be taken as fluffy friendship stuff...but I suppose if you tilt your head just right it could look different. Examples would be NaruHina, NaruNeji, and SasuNaru. Unintentional...truly.  
**Storyline**: This could also be classified as AU, seeing as this could be taken as if Sasuke has either never left or come back. In this timeline, Naruto has been gone for probably around three years - again - for a mission, most likely centered around Akatsuki. This is not an alternate introduction to the second part of the Naruto manga or Naruto Shippuden. Enjoy.

* * *

_**Naruto**_.

_**Spectrum**_

**_Fury's Footsteps._**

**

* * *

**

_Tsunade_

It's been so long since she's seen him she's afraid she might not recognize him, but as he walks into her office she knows he's the same.

He's smiling and sparkling and she can feel something in her chest constrict. He strides up to her and greets her with his usual "Yo, baa-chan," and then he's embracing her and she can feel the tears prick her eyes. Now she can feel her chest expand with something that feels like _pride_ as she laughs and hugs him back. And as he pulls back and laughs sheepishly as she tugs on his wild, blonde hair (longer than she remembers) she thinks that this is what it must be like to have a son.

---

_Jiraiya_

As Naruto pulls away from Tsunade, Jiraiya knows that he's laughing uncontrollably. He laughs loudly and clearly as he and his student slap hands and embrace roughly. The blonde grins from ear to ear as Jiraiya slaps on the back and teases him about how sore he'll be tomorrow after all the hugs and punches he's bound to get. Naruto just laughs as he slaps Jiraiya back, and all Jiraiya knows is that something heavy has been lifted off his chest and that he's laughing, Naruto is laughing, even Tsunade is laughing. All he cares about is that finally, _finally_, they're all laughing _together_.

And damn if he wasn't the first to start.

---

_Kakashi_

Word always spreads like wildfire in Konoha, and by the time Kakashi drops off a mission report (late) on Tsunade's desk he's heard whispers about sun-bright hair and ocean eyes.

He turns around and walks back toward the door. Three steps in and the door swings open. As Jiraiya strides into the office Kakashi's already looked past him to the man with an arm slung casually around Hokage-sama's shoulders.

Kakashi watches calmly (or at least he hopes he looks it) as Naruto blinks at him, and then that huge, familiar grin spreads across the tan face. He frees him arm to almost scamper up to Kakashi. He greets him with a familiar "Yo, Kakashi-sensei," and Kakashi can see a special glimmer in those blue eyes.

As Kakashi greets him with a "Yo," he notes that he doesn't have to look downward to see the blonde's face anymore.

When he first saw him, Kakashi hadn't known what to say, so his words almost have a dream-like quality to them as he tells his former student, "You've grown up a lot, haven't you?" and ruffles his golden hair with fatherly affection.

The glimmer in those eyes is exploding like twin stars, and Kakashi's got a feeling that was the exactly right thing to say.

---

_Sakura_

Sakura's been coming to Ichiraku's for months, if not years. She goes alone every single time, even though her friends ask to come.

They haven't asked her for awhile now.

Today though when Hinata asks to come along, Sakura finds she can't turn her down. She is not sure why but she's got a feeling there's a good reason.

The feeling returns full force after she's sat down with Hinata and they've ordered. She doesn't have much time to think about it, because suddenly there's a laughing voice in her ear teasing her about all the calories in ramen and managing to squeeze in an order in the same breath.

Sakura hears Hinata's breath hitch as she turns around. Sakura drinks in his appearance for a few seconds as he blinks at her in slight confusion, and then she feels the tears stream down her face as she grabs Naruto and hugs him for all she's worth. She hears him yelp as she practically crushes him, but he's laughing at the same time and telling her that he's missed her too.

When she pulls away, finally, he's smiling brilliantly at her. Sakura finds it's all she can do to tearfully inform him that he needs a haircut.

Sakura never goes to Ichiraku's alone again.

---

_Hinata_

Hinata hasn't had a reason to cry for awhile now. Yet as the blond man sitting next to her releases Sakura and turns to smile that special smile of his at her, she can feel tears well up in her eyes.

Then she does a very un-Hinata-like thing: as he cheerfully tells her he never expected to see her here of all places she fails to blush and merely initiates a hug on her own. She feels the surprise roll off him in a wave and she laughs and cries simultaneously as he chirps some remark that Hinata can't remember a second later. She's overwhelmed with his presence, and the fact that he's _back_, he's really back.

She pulls back after awhile to see Sakura and Naruto smiling at her. She laughs again as he wipes away her joyful tears and strokes her long hair once, twice, and she's listening when he teases her that they both need a haircut. Sakura swats away his hands, but then he manages to capture one hand from each of them, and he says how much he's missed both of them and he already feels better now that he's seen them.

Hinata agrees, because she can already tell her life has just gotten a whole lot brighter.

---

_Rookie 9_

Shikamaru can't honestly say he's surprised to see a familiar blonde mop of hair plop unexpectedly down in the booth his group is sitting at. He rolls his eyes when Naruto snatches a piece of barbecue off Kiba's plate. Kiba's trying to snatch it back as his laughter is being drowned out by Ino's shrieks.

Shikamara shares a glace with Shino (or at least he thinks he does) as Naruto exchanges friendly punches with Kiba.

Ino slides out her side of the booth to hug the other blonde briefly before she sits back down and acts like it never happened.

Naruto gives Chouji a one-armed embrace that he returns, and graciously offers the blonde his last piece of barbecue.

Now as the man is turning to tease Shikamaru and Shino about nothing and everything, Shikamaru's feeling something inside him clicking back into place.

He grins back at Naruto and knows that it doesn't take a genius to realize that everything is back to normal now.

It's taken a few years, but Konoha waited.

---

_Team Gai_

Tenten's too distracted throwing kunai at Neji to notice Lee's excited shouts and youthful exclamations at first. He's already been at it for about ten seconds before Tenten notices, and only because Neji turns around and isn't dodging her assaults anymore.

She looks up and feels the grin break onto her face and next she's giggling at the strange dance the newcomer is doing with Lee and Gai-sensei. Lee is shedding tears as Gai-sensei exclaims to Naruto about his youthful appearance, especially his hair. Neji stands close to them, and Tenten sees the soft, unguarded smile on his handsome face.

The shinobi breaks away from the two and steps toward the Hyuuga. Tenten watches him smile at Neji, and then they're both reaching out and are clasping each other's shoulders in long-missed camaraderie. They exchange quiet words as Tenten walks toward them slowly.

The blonde greets her warmly, and Tenten is finding herself smiling and playfully punching his shoulder as they're walking back to the training area.

Idly, Neji comments to Tenten that her distraction was careless and that she needs to work on it.

Tenten bops him on the head.

Naruto snickers.

Tenten doesn't really pay attention to anything else they're saying because she's too busy looking at the four identical smiles on the males' faces.

They haven't smiled like that in a long time.

---

_Iruka_

It's dark outside when Iruka answers the knocking at his door. He's fully prepared to maim the person who dared interrupt his rest, (he was almost asleep) but his reaction changes after he swings open the door.

It only takes Iruka a few seconds of surprised silence to recognize the visitor.

When he does, he bursts into tears.

He's hearing Naruto's panicked reassurances, but he's ushering the blonde inside already and suddenly Naruto's voice has been cut off.

Most of Iruka's brain power has stopped functioning and it's all he can do to envelop his former student in an impressively tight hug. Iruka knows he blabbering as he hears things like where have you been? and what took you so long? and you're so skinny! Do you eat at _all_? spill from his mouth.

He's so relived and flustered and _happy_ that he misses the small smile of pure contentment Naruto hides in his shoulder.

---

_Sasuke_

He's swimming somewhere in the gray landscape between awakening and sleep when he feels a tingle race up his spine.

He's been trained to be awake and alert in a matter of nanoseconds - even when off missions. Even as his eyes snap open into awareness they're still adjusting to the darkness. He blinks a few times to help…and then he's blinking even more because he can hardly believe what he's seeing.

Fantastic cerulean eyes blink right back, and their soothing effect makes his hyperawareness ease down a notch. He watches a white smile slowly grow on that dearly missed (though he'd never admit it) face.

Suddenly there's this huge, indescribable creature of emotion crawling up his insides. He's grateful for the blonde's interruption a moment later in the form of his familiar and almost tender "Hey, teme," because all of a sudden he can breathe again.

Sasuke flings himself off his bed.

…and then it's Naruto's turn to be able to breathe again, because he suddenly has his arms full of Uchiha – of Sasuke, of his best friend – who's whispering welcomes into his ear.

Naruto breathes fully and deeply in order to ingrain it all in his memory perfectly.

Because he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

A/N (6-24-07) : I am never writing in this style. Ever. Again. Therefore, I won't care if anybody hates it. It was just experimentation anyway...but I have to apologize for the cheesiness. This whole thing was so fluffy and cheesy...heh, I laugh. I don't really mind though, because I just wanted to get something out that wasn't from YYH. Please forgive me then if the characterization isn't up to par. At least I tried, right? XD I had fuuuuun tooooo...my favorite sections are Iruka and Sasuke. I loved how Sasuke's came out. 

Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated and cherished.

-Fury


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